Reading 1: Genesis 7-8

ch.8:9 - The dove found no rest. Nor do we in the turmoil of the world. Deut28:65 Lam.1:3. And yet, if we do wander and fly to and fro in the earth, we still may return (if it is not too late) to the rest of the ark as the dove did. Ps.116:7. This Psalm (116) reminds us that whatever our problem or suffering, God preserves us and keeps us to eternal life (v.5-9).

7:1 - The evidence of the language points quite categorically towards Noah being the only righteous man, and the saving of his family, it would seem, is brought about by his righteousness, and by the need for the earth to be populated after the flood. There seems to be quite a bit of evidence that God is prepared to save others by the righteousness of one in this way (we had a prime example recently in Job 42:7,8), and of course ultimately we are all saved by the righteousness of the one who was sinless - Matt 20:28, Rom.3:24-26, 4:25, 1Cor.15:3, 2Cor. 5:1, 1Pet.2:24, 3:18

ch. 7 - Realising that the flood took place 1656 years after creation will help to give us some idea of a time frame in Genesis. Nor should we think of Noah and his family as primitive when we consider the making of the ark. Adam was the pinnacle of creation so what do we think was possible 1600 years later. Consider the advances that man has made in the last 1000 years!

ch. 8 - Piecing together the dates and time periods in the flood account we see that God is using a calendar of 12 30 day months in a year. This is the basis for all time period calculations in prophecy. Does this indicate that before the flood the year was actually 360 days long divided into 12 30 day months?

What a storm! It was one of the most dramatic events in the history of mankind when it rained for 40 days and 40 nights and the earth opened up and all the springs of water flowed to the top. This was the time that God flooded the earth to destroy sinful men. But Noah and his family were righteous so God told them to build an ark so that they would be safe from the storm that was coming. When Noah, his family and all the animals were in the ark, God shut the door and they were sealed in. Then it rained and water poured out on the earth from the springs while the ark and its precious cargo floated safely, guided by the hand of God and protected from the water that destroyed every other living thing. Noah and his family did not avoid the storm but they were sheltered from its devastating effects. No doubt they were swirled and tossed around on top of the water, but they escaped death.

Jesus promised us peace if we put our trust in him. Storms of unrest may rage around us but in the midst of it all Gods anchor holds and we can be saved from the devastation and have his peace in our hearts. So lets do what he tells us to do today and experience the peace of God even in the midst of a storm.

7:1 In inviting Noah to come into the ark we learn that God was already in there waiting for him.

8:21 That Noah's sacrifice was a sweet savour shows that God does take knowledge of those who do things to please Him. Noah, in his gratitude for the deliverance he experienced offered a sacrifice though there is no indication that he had been commanded to do so - and God accepted what he offered.

Genesis 7 - The call to Noah is very kind, like that of a tender father to his children to come indoors when he sees night or a storm approaching. Noah went into the ark as soon as God bade him, for he knew it was to be his place of refuge. It is very comfortable to see God going before us in every step we take. Noah had taken a great deal of pains to build the ark, and now he and his family, were to be kept alive in it.

The very water which swept away the wickedness of the world, became the means whereby this man of faith was saved. What a wonderful description of what baptism does for us - 1Peter 3:21. What we do in obedience to the command of God, and in faith, we ourselves shall certainly have the comfort of, [Noahs name means Comfort], first or last.

After the hundred and twenty years, God granted seven days longer space for repentance. But these seven days were trifled away, like the 43,800 days that had gone before. Very soon, for ourselves, it shall be but seven days. Or have we already used six of those days up. Live this day as if it is your last... for this day could very well be the day when Christ comes for you.

You couldnt feel much more isolated than Noah and his family must have felt as they floated about in the ark for a year and ten days. They lived in semi-darkness with only themselves and the animals for company. They had no view of the world outside - except for a small window at the top of the ark. And if they had looked out, most of what they would have seen would have been water. But this isolation, while it must have been unpleasant in many ways, was for the saving of all who were on the ark. Even so, they must have felt alone and forgotten during much of that time.

But God doesnt forget. We read, "But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded." (Genesis 8 v 1).

Sometimes we can feel isolated, alone or forgotten by the world around us. Maybe we feel that we have not been recognised as we should as we worked for the Lord. But we can take comfort in what God said about Noah. God will remember us and the time will come when we will find release from the situation we are in.

In the meantime we can be sure that our trials are designed to aid in our salvation.
Have hope.
God cares.

7:5 That Noah did ‘according unto all the God commanded him’ is one of the three occasions this is said of him (6:22, 7:5, 7:16) marking his total compliance with the command of God – this is why it was said of him that he ‘walked with God’ (6:9)

8:21 Burning animals do not smell sweet. The smell is most unpleasant. However it was the obedience that the sacrifice demonstrated that rose as an acceptably odour to God. God’s perspective is so often different from ours!

7:5 - There is much to ponder and contemplate in the simple phrase in this verse. Here was total - almost blind - faith. Noah did what God told him, even though to him and all around him it would seem ludicrous. This takes some doing. If we too wish to find grace in God's eyes, let us be open to accept whatever He might require of us, and have the confidence to tread the path He shows us.

8:22 God made a covenant, and declared He would not again curse the earth as He had done, destroying all living creatures, except those in the ark. The language of the covenant indicates a new creation, a new world. The Edenic curse upon the ground, by which it yielded "thorns and thistles" would remain, but never again would God send a universal flood.

God had given instructions to Noah about building the ark. The plans were specific but Noah was able to build the ark the way God wanted it, to save both himself and his family from the flood. As he was there cutting wood, hammering nails and mixing tar, I wonder if he worried about the next part of the instructions. It is one things completing a large building project, but it is quite another when you are told, "You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you." (Gen 6:19)

I can imagine Noah's worry. How do you catch two lions - safely? How do you tell the male turtle from the female? What is the best way to pick up a skunk? And will beavers, woodworms, termites and other such creatures damage the ark?

God provides a way. It doesn't matter what task he gives us, God provides for that task to be done. After the ark was completed, Noah was given seven days before the rain came to complete his task. How do you fill an ark with a zoo within seven days? God helped. Noah didn't even need to go out looking. "Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, male and female, came to Noah." (Gen 7:8)

Maybe our tasks also seem daunting but God is on our side. We can have faith, as Paul did, that, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Phil 4:3)

8:4-12 - Perhaps we have an echo of Christ with a wooden ark passing through the water (of baptism and burial with Christ?) and resting 3 days after the Passover and then a window (Christ?) was opened for 40 days just as Christ stayed 40 days before ascending. Then we have the unclean raven (sin, flesh?) being replaced by the clean dove (righteousness, spiritual, Christ?). Also, when Christ returns there will be a millennial 7th "day" of rest; in verses 4 -12 are 3 mentions of 7 and of course we have 7 of every kind of clean animal chosen; the very name "Noah" means "rest". Gen 8:13 - we have mention of a "covering" [(4372) Heb. "mikceh"] of the ark and additional mentions of this same word "covering" (Exo 26:14;35:11;36:19;39:34;Num 3:25) as skins and rams' skins dyed red covering the tabernacle perhaps echoing the covering of sins by Christ's sacrifice.

Gen 7:11;8:2 - what were these fountains of the deep? Geysers, Tsunamis?

If you or I had been stuck inside an ark for a year and ten days as Noah and his family were, what would have been our first thoughts as the door was finally opened and we were free to do as we pleased in a brand new world? Maybe we would be looking forward to a fresh apple, to sunbathing, to just running and jumping in the fresh, wide, open space, or perhaps we would be looking forward to building and living in a permanent house again.

Noah's thoughts seem to have been far from any of those that we might have considered. This is what we read about Noah: "So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his son's wives ... Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it." (Gen 8:18,20)

Perhaps offering burnt offerings would not have been on the top of out "to do" list as we came out of the ark. But let's put it another way. Noah worshipped. Would worship have been on our mind?

There are periods of time in life when we, like Noah, have new beginnings in our lives. It is very appropriate then that we begin these new periods with worship. Birthdays, moving house, new jobs, graduation and relationships all signal a new beginning. Let's begin them and any new beginning in our lives in worship.

7:4 A week for man to repent. But, they still laugh and ridicule Noah and his family. Jesus whose heart felt the full amount of human perverseness, spoke of the reckless disregard of those during the life of Noah (Luke 17:27)

God had obviously already given instructions about which animals were clean & which unclean. Up until now, it would appear the only purpose was for sacrifice Gen 8:20 as it wasn't until after the Flood that it would appear that they began to eat meat Gen 9:3 (perhaps that is when certain animals also became carnivorous? cp Gen 1:29,30). It would also seem from Gen 9:2 that the creatures & man lived together in harmony, & without preying on one another, which would have made it easy for them to cohabit on the ark.

Noah had been instructed about clean and unclean animals (7:2,8). This was about 800 years before the Law of Moses codified the animals which were considered clean and unclean. Noah displayed his understanding of ceremonial cleanliness by his sacrifice after the flood (8:20). Notice that seven(s) (probably meaning seven pairs) of clean animals were taken on board the ark, while only one pair of each unclean animal was taken (7:2).

Contrast the two birds Noah employed: the raven and the dove (8:7,8). The raven is a black, raucous, unclean scavenger. The colour black is synonymous with sin and death. The dove is a gentle, clean bird. White doves are associated with peace and innocence. Symbolically, the raven was unfaithful to its task, as it left the fold to pursue its own pleasures, never to return. The dove was faithful, as it returned having completed its task and bringing good news. Perhaps, there is a parallel between the seed of the serpent (raven) and the seed of the woman (dove).

The Spirit of God descended like a dove on Jesus after His baptism (Matt 3:16). Ironically, it was the raven that fed Elijah, the man of God - the unclean feeding the clean (1Kin 17:4-6). And so, Yahweh has use for both classes in His plan - the clean and the unclean - the Jew and the Gentile (Isa 49:6; Acts 11:18).

7:2Noticed that in the days of Noah there were ‘clean’ and‘not clean’ beasts before the law of Moses. This indicates that God had revealed much to those before Moses. The law of Moses, in this respect, formalised for the nation what had been true for mankind before the flood.

The dimensions of the ark were 300 cubits x 50 cubits x 30 cubits (750 feet x 125 feet x 75 feet). These dimensions would have produced a stable vessel. We do not know exactly how long it took Noah to build the ark. Given the size, and the use of hand tools, it must have taken quite a while. Noah probably built the ark with the help of his sons. He was a father (presumably for the first time) when he was 500 years old (5:32). If we view the record sequentially, Noah started building the ark after his sons were born (6:10,14). We know that Noah and his family entered the ark when Noah was 600 years old (7:6). We do not know whether Noah started building the ark before his sons grew enough to be able to help him. In any case, the task would have taken the best part of a century to build.

All that time, Noah was witnessing to the people around him. They would see this curious craft taking shape and would ask him: Whatya doin' Noah!? He would have told them about Yahweh's plan and the opportunity to be saved. Having not seen rain in their lives would have ridiculed him, shaken their heads, and walked away (no rain event is recorded from 2:5,6 until 7:4). But, preaching Yahweh's Truth has, always, been largely met with disdain. However, Noah was recorded as one of the faithful who will be rewarded when Jesus returns to earth (Heb 11:7). Let us take encouragement from his example.

7:16 Note that it was God who "closed the door". Doubtless many people came rushing to the ark, asking to be allowed entry as they saw the floodwater rising and realised that Noah's warnings were correct. However, Noah wasn't able to allow entry at this late stage, because God had shut him in.

It's sometimes tempting to make a mental decision regarding the type of person who will be in the Kingdom, but that's not our decision to make. God will determine the make-up of the citizenship of the Kingdom. All we can do is follow His commandments and rely on his mercy.

Gen 8:3-4 When Noah entered the ark his age was 600yrs, 2months and 17days (Gen 7:11). The waters lasted for 150 days before abating when the ark rested on mount Ararat (Gen 8:3). This was in the 7th month and 17th day of the same month (Gen 8:4). Therefore, we have proof from Scripture that God counted 30 days in each month.

When the flood waters came down on the earth, the only safe place was in the ark. When the world was completely wicked and about to be destroyed, God had prepared a safe place for Noah and his family - and anyone who was willing to turn to God, humble themselves and believe that what God had said, he would do. Of all the people in the world at that time, Noah and his family were the only ones to get in the ark and be saved. Together in the ark they were able to help and encourage one another as they rode the worst storm this world has ever seen.

When we look at the attacks on our spiritual well being from the world around us, it is almost surprising that we have a faith at all! Many before us have lost it all together. But this is where God has provided us with a place of shelter, help and encouragement as we ride through the storm that would otherwise kill us. Our shelter is among fellow believers. Almost anywhere we go in the world we can find groups of believers. These people can be the support we need to stand firm against the world around us.

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, a some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the day approaching."(Heb 10:24-25)

8:22 The assurance that seedtime and harvest would not cease means that all Biblical references to the light of the sun and moon ceasing or the sun and moon being darkened must be metaphors for something else. A principle is seen here. One area of Scripture, by making a clear statement, helps us to understand other areas of Scripture which may seem less clear.

Gen 8:4 The Ark rested on the mountains of Ararat on the 17th day of the 7th month. This is a significant date because this was the month, Abib, (Exo 12:2; Exo 13:4) that was later to become the first month in the religious calendar year for the Jews. The feast of Tabernacles originally took place in, “the end of the year” (Ex.23:16). However the feast of Tabernacles is also described as taking place on fifteenth day of the seventh month (Lev 23:24). A six month calendar shift means that the was a six month difference between their Civil and religious calendars. The Ark therefore came to rest on the mountains of Ararat on17th day of the first month. The Passover was on the 14th day. Jesus rose from the dead on the 3rd day (17th day) the same day in the year over 2,000 years later. 1Pet 3:20-21 links the salvation of Noah by the flood waters with baptism and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Gen 8:4 - the ark 'rested' (<5117> - we look to the great rest when Christ returns, stays and we can dwell in him) in the 'seventh' (<7637> 7 is though to refer to spiritual perfection, God's seal and covenant number, millenial day of rest) month on the 'seventeenth' (<7651> 7 <6240> 10 is thought to refer to perfection of divine order or judgment)...upon the 'mountains' (<2022> can mean a mountain, mount, hill, range of hills, hill country) of 'Ararat' (<780> according to Brown-Driver-Briggs 'ararat' means 'the curse reversed' which Christ accomplished); so we have wood resting upon 'the curse reversed' mountain which perhaps reminds us of Christ's sacrifice, resurrection and return to create a new world order (Dan 2:34-35); in Gen 8:5 we have two mentions of 'tenth' (<6224> 10 is thought to refer to perfection of divine order or judgment) and we have the 'tops' (<7218> can mean head, top, chief, first, ruler) of the "mountains' <2022> now above the water (figurative burial of the flesh, sin and death?) and perhaps echoing the resurrection.

7:22 the way in which those died in “whose nostrils was the breath” – speaking of total destruction is picked up –Isa 2:22 – by the prophet to speak of the way in which all evil will be destroyed when the kingdom of God is established.

Gen 7:4 How many of us have had someone we know enquire about the truth and have been interested until you tell them of the return of Christ and the outporing of Yahweh's judgements and see them quickly lose interest? The world doesnt want to hear about apperant negativity. It would have been the same for Noah, some would have thought these prophecies of a world flood as possible but they choose to bury their heads in the sand.

Warns us of sudden destruction when everything is peaceful, i would bet those seven days before the great flood would have been the driest and sunniest days the people and Noah had seen. Rain may not have even been seen up until this point, but either way Noahs faith was tested 7 days before that flood while he waited. Let us keep our faith whil ewe wait for our masters return and look for the time of peace before the storm!!

Gen 7:16 Shut him in....Isa 26:20 a place to shelter fot those who listen. I have a reference to 1Kin 6:20 for the words shut up linking them to the holy of holies? Unfortunatly i havent marked my bible to explain it clearly if anyone could offer help??

8:8 The flood was not a simple rising of the sea level to cover the whole earth. It was associated with terrible storms and underwater earthquakes. But God was in control. As easily as He brought the flood upon the earth he was able to stop it. Likewise at the time of Jesus’ return God will bring about cataclysmic changes but will control them to achieve His objectives before they cease.

Some people think that it's impossible to get two of all animals onto a ship. I think these people have either never walked aboard a cruise liner, or they have not properly considered the animal kingdom. Think about all the large animals you know of. Once you've listed the Elephant, Rhinos, the great cats and the cattle you're pretty much done with the big animals. Then there's the large reptiles, snakes and lizards, but there are not many big species. Place all of these next to each other, and you have perhaps a single school gym sized area. The next size down, wolves, large birds, sheep etc, all take up much less room, and still there are not all that many species. Perhaps another hall full. The place where there's an explosion in variety are in the small and tiny species, the birds and insect life, small rodents and lizards. In mathematics we're told that these all together would take only about as much space as the largest creatures. Now consider the enormous size of the ark -- multiple decks the size of a cruise liner or cargo ship -- and you can conclude there was not only space to get the animals on, but space to move around.

Another point to consider is that it doesn't say they took adults onto the Ark. Two tiger cubs take up a tenth of the space of two adult tigers, even if they did grow during that time.

Gen 7:1– Noah was a just man who walked with God (Gen 6:9). Like Noah, we are living in a world which has corrupted God’s way and filled the earth with violence (Gen 6:11-12). Therefore God invited Noah and his family to come into the ark. Noah did all the Lord commanded him (Gen 7:5) and God shut them in the ark to protect them from the judgements that were to fall on Godless humanity (Gen 7:16).

In the day of the coming of Jesus, if we walk in faith now, we like Noah, will be taken out of this world. “Come my people enter into the chambers and shut the doors about thee: hide thyself…until the indignation be overpast.” The prophet goes on to warn that the time is coming when the Lord bring judgements on the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity (Isa 26:20-21).

Not sure exactly what a cubit measure was in Noah's day. But God gives Noah detailed instructions for building the ark: it is to be of gopher wood, smeared inside and out with pitch, with three decks and internal compartments; it will be 300 cubits long (137.16 m, 450 ft), 50 wide (22.86 m, 75 ft), and 30 high (13.716 m, 45 ft); it will have a roof "finished to a cubit upward"; and an entrance on the side. Using the longer "Egyptian Royal Cubit" of 529mm, this works out at 158.7m long by 26.45m wide by 15.87m high (520 feet 8 inches long by 86 feet 9.3 inches wide by 52 feet 0.8 inches high).

8:20 God had made provision for sacrifice, though Noah had not been told this. So the first thing that Noah does with previous animals is to sacrifice them to God. So we see Noah’s priorities. It was God first and the practicalities of living second.

8:9 When Noah released a dove from a window in the Ark, she flew around for a while over the featureless ocean of water that covered the whole earth. Then she returned to the Ark because “the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot”.

Moses picks up on this phrase and applies it to the effect of the curses that would come on faithless Israel. Israel would wander among the nations of the world and “would find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest…” (Deut 28:65). The account of Noah and the dove is antitypical of God and Israel.

When the dove returned ”he put forth his hand and took her and pulled (Strong’s <935>) her in unto him into the Ark.” (Gen 8:9). His care for the safety of the dove is again antitypical of God’s care for Israel. “…I bare you on eagles wings and brought(same word, Strong's <935>) you to myself.” (Exo 19:4).

This theme of the dove in Scripture can be developed further where we see Ephraim was a like a "silly dove" (Hos 7:11). Jonah (dove) was also unwise in attempting to run away from the presence of the Lord (Jon 1:1-4)

Genesis 7:1 marks the 1st of the 3 great "comes" (invitations in the bible. In Genesis 6:18 GOD made the invitation to righteous Noah - "But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark"

Gen.7:7 - God called all the righteous into the ark - "Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation."

In Matt.11:28 the call went out to all that see God through Christ - "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest"

In IsA 26:20 we have the last of the 3 great "comes" (invitations) "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast." If we are not already in our ark (Christ), it will be too late for many

Now is the time to accept the invitation of the Lord - "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest"

Genesis 7:1 marks the 1st of the 3 great "comes" (invitations in the bible. In Genesis 6:18 GOD made the invitation to righteous Noah - "But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark"

Gen.7:7 - God called all the righteous into the ark - "Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation."

In Matt.11:28 the call went out to all that see God through Christ - "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest"

In IsA 26:20 we have the last of the 3 great "comes" (invitations) "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast." If we are not already in our ark (Christ), it will be too late for many

Now is the time to accept the invitation of the Lord - "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest"

7:13 We have to appreciate that Noah and his family did not enter the ark on the day the rain started because we learn – Gen 7:10 – that they were in the ark for a week before the rain started. So when we are told “the self-same day” we are being told that they entered the ark as soon as God commanded them. No delay on their part in obeying God’s command.

10 v. 6 - To me this seems to be the curse of our age - we are told by our benevolent society that everything will be fine - we will never be in adversity - and if, by chance, we are, then we can make a big compensation claim from someone. The danger of our acceptance of the compensation society in which we live is demonstrated in this verse. Let us take heed and not be taken in by the non-eternal comforts that are offered to us as our right. 1Thes.5:3 gives us further reason to heed this exhortation.

Thus it can be seen that the word can be translated into English. From the three other uses of the word we can work out its meaning.

Psa 10 - In this Psalm the Psalmist, on seeing the way in which the wicked seem to prosper and are not judged, draws the conclusion that he has been forsaken by God. A common way of thinking. It seems pointless to serve God when those who do not seem to get by without any troubles. However this is to look at things from a worldly and not Godly viewpoint. God is not particularly interested in how things are today. He is more interested in how we develop and so the things that are happening to us now are designed to change us so that in the future we will be blessed.

Psalm 9 - I WILL PRAISE YOU O LORD WITH ALL MY HEART
This Psalm is a great Psalm for discovering some of the essence of praise.
"I will praise you O LORD with all my heart." When we praise it must be a whole hearted effort. Half hearted praise means nothing. Think what it is like when someone tells you that you look good or that you cooked a great meal but they don really mean it. It might as well not have been said. The same applies when we are praising God.
"I will tell of all your wonders." One of the very important aspects of praise is to boast about God. How often do we boast about what a wonderful God we have? When we hear someone telling someone else something good about us it makes us feel good. We can praise God in the same way.
"I will be glad and rejoice in you." A happy face, a joyful smile and laughter all show that we are happy and glad and rejoicing in our relationship with our God. Just as a courting couple rejoices in their love, so we too can praise God by being glad and rejoicing in him.
"I will sing praise to your name." Singing praises is one of the ultimate ways of showing praise - in poetry and music - the best our intellect and emotions can offer.
Do it now! Praise the LORD!

Psalm 10 - ROOM FOR GOD?
One of the distinguishing marks of a wicked person is in his thoughts. It is what separates a person of God from the wicked. You see, there is no room for God in all the thoughts of the wicked. God gets squeezed out of his mind causing his conscience to be unexercised and eventually to die. He is so busy doing his own thing, serving himself, living for pleasure, following his lust and exalting himself that there is just no space left for God.
The man of God, on the other hand, will always have God in his thoughts. He will pray, read the Bible, talk about God, think about godly things and learn spiritual lessons from the things that happen in his life.
What about your mind? Is there room for God in your thoughts? Try a little experiment and see how much God enters your thoughts today and evaluate yourself before you go to sleep tonight. My day needed adjusting today to give God more room, how about yours? We may have unconsciously squeezed God out of our thoughts,, but now is the time to consciously give him more room in our minds. How much room do you have for God.

9:8 He shall judge the world in righteousness is quoted by Paul (Acts 17:31). In the Psalm the comment is made against the background of the everlasting nature of God - :7. We should realise that in contrast to the transient nature of all that we have and class as valuable God is enduring - (Matthew 6:19)

10:7 Whereas the wicked has deceit and fraud under his tongue the bride of Christ should have honey and milk under her tongue (Song of Solomon 4:11)

Psalm 9 - "To the chief Musician upon Muth-labben" - Here at the head of Psalm 9, appears the subscription that should actually be appended to the Psalm previous. Muth-labben means literally, "the death of the Champion" and as such fittingly properly belongs to Psalm 8 - a Psalm of David dedicated to his victory over Goliath, the giant of flesh.

The next words A Psalm of David are inspired also, and are the superscription of Psalm 9. This Psalm is a prayer of David pleading that God might soon interrupt the affairs of mankind to establish the Kingdom of His glory here on earth.

v.20"Put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men." - 3,000 years after David penned his prayer, the world has finally reached the point where "mens hearts are failing them for fear... for there is distress upon the nations with perplexity" - Luke 21:25-26. The unprecedented campaigns of terrorism and violence among the nations, as described in Jeremiah 25:32 - 33, will lead the governments of this world at last to the conclusion that it is impossible for them to solve the problems of the future, there is no way out for them, they are but men, and they need the God of Heaven to establish a righteous government on this earth to properly govern the nations.

Psalm 10 - David describes in this Psalm, why the world will end up in the state described by him in Psalm 9:20. He complains to God of the oppressions which the poor suffer from the wicked man, whom he describes as the hater of the poor, Psa 10:2; proud, Psa 10:3; one who will not seek God, Psa 10:4; and is regardless of his judgements, Psa 10:5; self-confident, Psa 10:6; blasphemous and deceitful, Psa 10:7; strives by subtlety and treachery to destroy the poor, Psa 10:8-10; and supposes that God is regardless of his conduct, Psa 10:11. The psalmist calls earnestly on God to preserve the poor and humble, and cast down the oppressor, Psa 10:12-15. He foresees that his prayer is heard; that judgment will be executed, and the poor delivered, Psa 10:16-18.

v.5 is interesting in the NIV - "In his pride, the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God". Have you made room in your thoughts for God today?

9:20 Man needs to understand that he is ‘but men’ Human nature abrogates to itself notions of invincibility. We must take care that we do not follow in their steps. Our sufficiency is not of ourselves. It is of God.

10:7 ‘mouth is full of cursing and deceit’ is quoted by Paul (Rom 3:14) as part of his proof that all are sinners.

Why do You stand afar off, O Lord?
Why do You hide in times of trouble?
The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor;
Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.Psa 10:1-2 NKJV

Why do the wicked oppress the poor while God stands back and appears to allow it? The poor cry out under their oppression, but God doesn't judge the wicked straight away but chooses rather to wait.

The idea that God never judges is of course not true. God does judge, and there are plenty of Bible events that show this to be true. It is only the time-frame that is often not what we expect. The book of Jonah explains this enigma in detail. The important thing to come out of this chapter is that no matter how long it takes before God judges an evildoer, in the meantime He will always be a refuge to those who put their trust in Him (Psa 10:14).

Exercise: Work out the amount of time God chose to wait before judging the wickedness of Nabal and Manasseh. Nabal 1sam25:36-39. Manasseh 2chr33:9-13 and 2ki34:1-4.

Psa 10:1 How often do we have similar feelings as David expresses in this verse. Especially when things appear that it could not get worse, when this happens, we for the most part feel guilty. Is this bad? Not necessarily so. Situations like this bring us closer to our Heavenly Father in prayer, as it did with David. We all need chastening, it is like gold being tried with fire. The more it is tried, the higher quality it becomes. The trials that we go through help us put off the fleshly man, as David recognizes in V.18"that the man of the earth may no more oppress"

Our days can be very busy and active in this pressured life we live. Our minds are full of a million things we have to do as well as digesting the things we have done, heard and seen. Sometimes we can get to a point in our day, week or month, when we experience Brain-Fry. With all the pressures and thoughts tumbling around in our heads, our brains decide they cannot cope any more and our mental capacity seems to dramatically reduce unless we add more and more energy to it. It is at that point that we discover (at least for now) there is no more room in our heads for anything else.

We seem to have a limited capacity for processing information at any given time, so, because it is more difficult to add to things once we are full, it is important to fill up our thoughts with the best and most important things to begin with.

In the Psalmist's description of the wicked, one of the characteristics he describes is this: "In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God." (Psa 10:4) With our minds getting so full so quickly in the rush in which we live, we must make room for God. It is so easy to get carried away with the flow only to discover that our brains have fried and we have no more room for God in our thoughts. Let's put him in first. Give him the space he deserves. If we read his word and pray early in the morning and keep these thoughts in mind throughout the day, we will not be described as the wicked, but will be wise, having room in our thoughts for God.

We do well to remember the well-known words of Psa 9:9. My experience, which I know, from many conversations over the years, is shared by many, is that the times of trouble are those when we are least likely to recognise God as our refuge, and yet those when we most need Him. One of the most frustrating aspects of our human make-up is that we seem unable to turn to God when we need Him the most. Let us remember that God is our refuge and turn to Him at our lowest ebb, when we feel least worthy.

For those of us privileged to belong to ecclesias where we can easily and constantly talk to our brothers and sisters, let's take to heart the words of David in Ps9:11-14. He is going to tell the people of the land how great God is. He is going to share with his brothers and sisters the fact that God has lifted him up.

9:4David recognised that his ‘cause’ was maintained by his God. How often do we think that we have justified ourselves in the things we might do?

10:2-6, 11,13Notice the repeated emphasis on ‘the wicked’. But David takes courage that God had seen it ::14. How often do we despair when we see the wicked prospering? David’s example should encourage us.

10:11 We can be like the wicked – thinking that God cannot see what we are doing or know what we are thinking. If we could always realise that he can then maybe we would find it easier to resist temptation.

9:1Muth-labben comes from three Hebrew words moot l’ben which means death to the son. The reference is probably to the title of a tune. The choirmaster has been directed to accompany this psalm by the tune indicated.

The author of Ps 10 is probably David. David's relates his own anguish but also reflects that of Jesus (the greater David). David felt alone at times, abandoned by the LORD (10:1). Likewise, at his crucifixion, Jesus cried out, quoting Ps.22: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matt 27:46). The LORD came down to witness His Son's crucifixion (Psa 18:9-15; cf. Matt 27:45,51; John 12:29). But, Jesus had to bear the crucifixion on His own. At times, we might feel abandoned and wonder where God is. He knows all about us and what is happening to us. Sometimes he might want us bear a particular burden. His assurance is, though, that He will not give us anything we cannot handle (1Cor 10:13).

9:5In saying that God had ‘rebuked the heathen’ we must be reading a prayer of thanksgiving of David at the defeat of the army of one of his enemies. God has promised that Israel will never cease to be a people – Jer 30:11 - but David sees the contrast of this with his enemies.

9:6-7 Notice the contrast. The Lord will endure ‘forever’ whilst the enemy will be forgotten. This is the overall picture of redemption. There will come a time when the great enemy – death – is abolished and will be remembered no more. The way in which God deals with the nations is a cameo of His great plan and purpose.

10:6 We may, from time to time, wonder whether we are ‘wicked’ when we fall short of what He requires of us. However we must notice that the ‘wicked’ think their plans in ‘their heart’ – they are carefully planned and owned by the wicked. They are the driving force in their lives. We trust that our falling from the high calling is a lapse rather than a conscious desire to sin.

The Message translation of the end of Psalm 10 is so beautiful.... "GOD's grace and order wins; godlessness loses. The victim's faint pulse picks up; the hearts of the hopeless pump red blood as You put your ear to their lips. Orphans get parents, the homeless get homes. The reign of terror is over, the rule of the gang lords is ended."

Even so Come, Lord Jesus.

Psa 10:17 The victim's faint pulse picks up; the hearts of the hopeless pump red blood as you put your ear to their lips.

Psa 10:18 Orphans get parents, the homeless get homes. The reign of terror is over, the rule of the gang lords is ended.

There are always a number of options open to us when we feel like the victim of a crime or some injustice. Some of those options might be practical ones such as talking about it, avoiding the same circumstances, or taking it to a higher authority. Other options might be to do with our state of mind: whether we forgive, whether we feel sorry for ourselves, or whether we choose to accept what has happened and move on. We could also have the option of getting even, grinning and bearing it, pretending it never happened, or bottling it up until next time.

The psalmist seems to have seen a good number people who were victims of other people. No doubt he observed many of the choices we have just listed, but he discovered a better way. He said, "But you, O God, do see trouble and grief, you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you, you are the helper of the fatherless." (Psa 10:14)

The best option we can choose as a victim of anything is to commit it to God. He says in another place, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," and he can certainly repay a lot better than we can do - and he can do it justly.

So next time we feel like a victim, let's take it to God in prayer and commit our circumstances to him. In doing so it is in God's hands and the weight of it is off our minds.

9:8 We live in a world where judgement cannot be executed perfectly. The judiciary cannot know the full circumstances of the issue they are to judge. They have to rely on “the hearing of the ear” – Isa 11:3 – By contrast in the kingdom Jesus will not need to rely on what people say. He will know perfectly – Isa 11:4

"I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart, I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." (Psa 9:1-2) This is the way David began writing Psalm 9. As he continued, he praised the LORD, he told of all God's wonders, and he rejoiced in God's goodness. The whole psalm was sung by him to praise the name of the LORD. In his writing and singing of Psalm 9, David fulfilled his introduction to the psalm.

If we took a blank piece of paper, we too could write a psalm like David did. We don't have to think of an imaginative beginning because it has been given to us. We don't have to think of flowery words, instead all we need to do is to tell about what God has done for us and on the way explain how thankful and excited we are that God has worked this way in our lives. We can even take the opportunity, as David did, to encourage others to praise the LORD along with us.

After the first two verses, David's psalm was just a story about how God had worked in his life. Ours could be just the same. Let's try it. How has God worked in your life recently? How has it made you feel? How could others benefit from your life with God? Let's get writing and praise God in our own version of Psalm 9.

9:17 This promise about how the nations will be “turned into hell” must be a comment about what will happen in the 1,000 year reign of Christ. It has not happened during the times of the kingdom of men. But a time will come when all nations will know God. Those who do not recognise His supremacy will be punished. Zech 14:12 describes a punishment on nations when Christ has returned.

"Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done."(Psa 9:11).

Who was David talking to here? Was this psalm written to the priests in the Tabernacle, or to the leaders of the churches, or to big groups of believers? No. It was written to be sung and read by the people - ordinary people - people like you and me.

Proclaiming among the nations what God has done is not something we should be leaving to the big organisations, our leaders, or the public speakers among us. It is something we can all do. What has God done for you? You might have an answer to prayer, the blessing of forgiveness, peace, you may have been blessed with joy or purpose in your life. Whatever it is, it's not for keeping to yourself.

"Proclaim among the nations what he has done."Tell others what God has done for you. This is one of the most powerful forms of witness we can do. So let's reach out to others with God's love, telling them what God has done for us - maybe he will do it for them too.

9:1 In saying that he will praise God with his “whole heart” David is teaching us how our worship should be. It should not be “half hearted”. It is all too easy to worship God whilst having our minds focused on other things. As if our worship is a formality rather than the driving force in our lives.

On of the earliest laws God spoke to mankind was about the shedding of blood, or in other words, murder:

"And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man."Gen 9:5-6

This is a universal law that God holds everyone to. Remember that the flood at Noah's time happened because mankind were murdering each other (see Gen 6:11-13). So in this Psalm in Psa 9:12 it uses the same Hebrew word "require" for "inquisition". God would find out the evil being committed and judge that nation for the blood it had shed, and David's army was the means by which that judgment had taken place. Notice also the reason for it is not for vengeance, but to deliver the the humble and powerless from murderers (Psa 9:12,18).

9:11 Whilst we do not know when this Psalm was written we can conclude it was after David was king in Jerusalem and had brought that ark to the tent that he had made for it – 2Sam 6:17 – for here we learn that the Lord “dwelleth in Zion”.

10:13 Notice the wicked says “in his heart”. There may be times when we fail to live up to what is expected of us. But, I suggest, those occasions are lapses rather than actions which reflect our true way of thinking.

10:14 The encouraging thing is that, as in David’s day, God sees everything that wicked men say and do against His children. There is nothing that He is unaware of. So we can take confidence in His plan.

Reading 3: Matthew 6

The context setting for the giving of the Lords Prayer to the disciples is in v. 8. Do we realise this? God knows our needs. Ps.38:9, 69:19. What should prayer be then? Certainly not just a list of requests. Rather a chance to praise God and recognise his greatness and our consequent position of total dependence on Him for all things. Then we can respond to Phil.4:6 appropriately.

:25 In telling the disciples to take no thought … what ye shall eat Jesus is reminding them about the way that God cared for His people in the year of release (Leviticus 25:20). There are other quotations from Leviticus 25 in this chapter for you to find.

In the foregoing chapter our Lord particularly described the nature of inward holiness. In this chapter he describes that purity of intention without which none of our outward actions are holy. Our Lord warns against hypocrisy and outward show in religious duties. What we do, must be done from an inward principle, that we may be approved of God, not that we may be praised of men. The Pharisees prayed etc. standing on the street corners v5, so that they could be seen from two directions. In these verses we are cautioned against hypocrisy in giving alms. Take heed of it. It is a subtle sin; and vainglory creeps into what we do, before we are aware. But the duty is not the less necessary and excellent for being abused by the hypocrites to serve their pride. The doom Christ passes, at first may seem a promise, but it is their reward; not the reward God promises to those who do good, but the reward hypocrites promise themselves, and a poor reward it is; they did it to be seen of men, and they are seen of men. When we take least notice of our good deeds ourselves, God takes most notice of them. He will reward thee; not as a master who gives his servant what he earns, and no more, but as a Father who gives abundantly to his son that serves him in love - Matthew 25:34-40.

v.4 - We achieve humility by praising God - in the light of our worship and praise of Him we feel our own position of vile sinfulness. God knows how hard we find it to feel this so He is here providing another opportunity for us to create this situation - do our giving in secret - including our prayers (v.6) - that we might take on an attitude of humility by our action - overcoming the human desire to be seen to do good.

Matt 6:24 The word "serve" In the Greek is douleuo 1398 it means to serve as a bondman."to be a slave" A man may be employed as a hired servant by two masters, but he can only be a bond-slave to one, because only one can own him.

v.7 - The emphasis, I feel, of Christ's advice here should be on the vain rather than the repetitions. It is clearly not wrong to repeat (26:39,42,44) but wrong to repeat vainly. It is, as always, a state of heart which Jesus is requiring here.

V.9 "to hallow God's Name"(37 HAGIAZO) means to hold it in reverence; hence, to honour, glorify, and exalt Him. To do this involves a lot more than knowing the Word. From our earnest study it must have an effect on us, developing in us humility, and gratitude of heart. putting off that "old man" and developing these Christ like qualities. The writers of the Psalms understood the meaning of this, they continually took time to meditate upon God's majesty.

Manna was given every day, for 6 days, with none on the Saturday. In great faith they eat what they needed on the day, but did not keep any for breakfast the next morning. They knew it would be there for them.(see Exo 16:4-31) In a similar way Jesus tells us to pray for “daily bread”, (Matt 6:11). That’s faith.

6:31 ‘Therefore’ shows that there is a logical relationship between the way that God cares for creation and His care for us. If we ever doubt that He cares for us then we can see ample evidence that he does simply by looking at the birds around us.

Vs. 9-13 comprise what is commonly known as The Lord's Prayer. The last part of v.13 in the KJV: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen is not included in modern versions. An important recognition in this prayer is the coming Kingdom on earth (v.10). True followers of Jesus look forward to His return to earth and the setting up of His kingdom. The faithful will be rewarded by becoming immortalised participants in that kingdom. Those who have believed the myth of souls flying off to heaven at death will not enjoy the reality of paradise (Rev 2:7).

V. 24 Money is an inert commodity that can be used for good or evil. If used wisely in the service of the Lord, it can be beneficial. If it becomes the focus of existence, then it has become a god - and there is room for only one God (Exo 20:30; Matt 22:37,38). Loving and worshipping Yahweh does not allow one to love and worship money (1Tim 6:10).

6:13And lead us not into temptation seems to be an appeal to prevent Yahweh from inducing us to do evil. But, this is not the case. Yahweh does not induce people to do evil (James 1:13). The word tempted in James is piradzo which means entice; but the word temptation in Matthew is pirasmos which means adversity (i.e. sore trial). And so, the appeal in Jesus’ prayer is to avoid difficult trial; not to be spared enticement.

6:4 This warning given here about not making a show of one’s works of faith, leaving things in God’s hand is the basis of Paul’s comments – 1Cor 4:5- where he speaks of the way that God will act against the background of those in Corinth who sought their own glory now.

There are a number of parallels between the words of the Lord’s prayer in Matt 6 and the records of the temptations in Matt 4 and Luke 4, which leads us to wonder if the Lord’s prayer was formulated during the 40 days in the wilderness.
For instance, we are told that the devil took him to a high mountain to shew him the kingdoms of the world and said “All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them”.
It's lovely to think then that Jesus' response was to pray to his father “THINE is the kingdom, the power and the glory”?
There are other connections too.

The "to be seen of them" is key. It is the self-display, pride, self-advertising and self-promotion that is condemned. There may be circumstances where our "alms" (i.e. any good that we can offer) can't be done without attracting some publicity. Better that than to make anonymity an excuse for doing nothing.

The above was gleaned from Balancing The Book: A Study of Biblical Paradoxes by Len Richardson, pp 21-25.

"No man can serve two masters..." (Matthew 6:24) vs "Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's" (Matthew 22:21)

In the first quotation Jesus appears to be saying that believers are to give undivided attention to serving God alone while in the second quotation it seems there is a compromise reached between what is due the state and what is due God.

Matt 6:19-21 supplements the context of Matt 6:24 and refers to temporal material treasures vs the blessings of eternal life and a permanent inheritance in God's Kingdom. It is about our obligation to God. It has nothing to do with the state. The two masters are not God and the state but God and money. We can't serve God and money. God will look out for our needs Matt 6:31-33 but we have to put Him first - not an easy thing if one loves money Mark 10:17-22;1Tim 6:10.

"Lead us not into temptation" (Matt 6:13) vs "God cannot be tempted...neither tempteth he any man" (James 1:13).

In modern English, we use "temptation" to mean incitement to do wrong. There is always the underlying assumption that one is being provoked to something evil. But when we read esp. in the KJV that men were "tempted" it sometimes meant a provocation to do evil but other times it meant to be put to the test and in certain cases it meant both. In the Heb and Grk words translated as "tempt" or "temptation" there is this underlying concept of "testing" or "putting to the test". The more modern versions of the Bible tend to clarify these usages better.

When Israel "tempted" God (KJV Exo 17:7) it was challenging God to prove he could fulfil His promise to supply their needs. Similarly, "Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted" (KJV 1Cor 10:9) was changed in the RSV to read "We must not put the Lord to the test as some of them did". The Bible has situations where it would be clearly inappropriate to use the word "tempt" in the sense of a provocation to sin.

With the clarification above we read "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life" (James 1:12). The idea of temptation here is being put to the test or remaining steadfast under trial. The other form of temptation (i.e. "provocation to do evil") is demonstrated in James 1:13-15 where it refers to God not inciting men to do evil but that evil comes from within (Mark 7:21-23). So God will allow us to be put to the test in the sense of enduring suffering but our sinful thoughts come from our own internal inclinations not from any external force be it God or some imaginary devil. When we pray "Lead us not into temptation" (Matt 6:13) we are using the word temptation in the sense of trial or testing for God doesn't incite us to do evil. Abraham proved himself equal to the test or trial, "Now it came to pass after these things that God did tempt Abraham" (Gen 22:1). And we read of the clarified intent, "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac..." (Heb 11:17).

We have assurance that we will not be given a trial beyond our ability to endure (1Cor 10:13).

Interestingly, Jesus was tempted in all points as we are (Heb 4:15), so he had to battle his fleshly inclinations, something God would never have to do as we read in James 1:13.

Much of the above was gleaned from Balancing The Book: A Study Of Biblical Paradoxes by Len Richardson, pps 86-90.

"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matt 6:22-23)

Most of what goes into our minds is visual. The things we hear, smell, taste or feel have much less impact on us than the things we see. We have a choice about what we view, at least most of the time we do. We have a choice of what books we read, what television programmes, DVD's or movies we watch, what websites we visit and a choice in the places we go. If we restrict our eyes to viewing only good and helpful things, then the things we remember and the things we say about them later on will also be good.

But if we read books about murder, watch television programmes about lust, and visit websites that explain how to cook illicit drugs, just imagine where our thoughts are going to be most of the time! As Jesus said, if our eyes have taken in the darkness of the world, then the darkness inside us will be very dark indeed.

So let's watch what we look at. Fill our minds with the Good Book, with the beauty of God's creation and with the love of families and fellow believers. With this in our view we will be on track to live a pure Christian life.

6:10 Note that the first petition after the introductory phrases is for the coming of the Kingdom. Jesus reinforces this later in the chapter in Matt 6:33 . We are in danger of spending too much time on the cares of this world and not concentrating enough on seeking the Kingdom

Again the Message translation picks up the spirit of the end of Matthew 6:34 - "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Next to love, forgiveness is the most misunderstood word in the human language. Forgiveness is a function of love that seeks to understand the negative impact of another person and then release the pain. Forgiveness is a decision we make in not being slaves to the wrongs. Forgiveness is an attitude, or process one lives interiorly more than an isolated act. To forgive is to let go. It is a shifting of attention away from the hurtful act, not in denial, but in release. Forgiveness is a releasing of negative feelings, and while the other party may apologize, it is our responsibility to let go of the anger and hurt, and only we can do that. Forgiveness costs something, and the more the personal injury, the harder it is to forgive. We can choose to be better, or choose to be bitter – it is all up to us.

Indeed, saying, “I am sorry,” as a genuine and deep contrition, is an integral part of the forgiveness process, and has an incredible potential for transformation power in all of us, yet these three small words seldom roll easily off our lips. Because they go unsaid, no transformation or healing can take place. The greatest obstacle for this is ego!

David prays, "Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity" (Psa 51:9). "...you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea" (Mic 7:18-19). "...you have put all my sins behind your back" (Isa 38:17). "...as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us" (Psa 103:12).

Forgiveness is a free gift from God (Rom 5:15), but He does not throw it away, nor thrust it upon those who do not want it or prize it. God is willing not only to forgive, but also to forget our sins. He blots them out, casts them into the sea, puts them behind His back, and removes them as far as the east is from the west. These verses also suggest that He does so when we seek forgiveness by asking for forgiveness. This is what we are called upon to do, for when we sin against the brethren, we sin against Christ (1Cor 8:12).

6:132Pet 2:9 has Peter appealing to Jesus’ words in the prayer here. Because Jesus has taught us to pray like this Peter could take confidence, and encourage others to take confidence that God would not ask us to pray for something that He could not do.

What does the eye represent in these statements of Jesus'? And what is a single and an evil eye (K.J.V.)? [N.I.V. has "good" and "bad"]

Here is an example of Jesus giving instruction based on his knowledge of Old Testament usage of a certain word and idea - i.e. the "eye". The basic ideas that he is conveying in these phrases are how good it is to be generous with what you have been blessed with. And the converse - how bad it is to be stingy with those things. Yet he uses what we might consider unusual terms to get that idea across: a good and a bad eye. However, within the pages of the Old Testament - especially the book of Proverbs - this idea comes up several times - all with the meaning as given above. Here are the ones I found (all with the K.J.V. translation):

Evil (bad) eye -

Pro. 23:5-7 - "Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: for as he thinketh in his heat, so is he: eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee." (N.I.V. translates the first part of v. 6 - "Do not eat the food of a stingy man")

Deut. 15:9 - "Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, 'The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand'; andthine eye be evil against they poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee."

Single (good) eye -

Pro. 22:9 - "He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor." (R.V. margin has "good" for bountiful; N.I.V. has - "a generous man")

And then at a later point in time, Jesus in his parable of the laborers in the vineyard (Mat. 20:15) has the master telling those who were complaining about all receiving an equal wage - even though they had worked longer hours than others - "Is it lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil because I am good?" So again Jesus uses the good eye as equating to generosity and the evil eye as its opposite.

This understanding of what Jesus is saying here, to my way of thinking, fits perfectly the context of this section of his Sermon on the Mount. For in Matt 6:19-21 is his exhortation to not put one's trust in riches - for bad things can and do happen to them! And then in Matt 6:24 he states categorically that one cannot serve 2 masters that are on opposite sides of the spectrum: God and mammon. And then throughout the rest of this chapter he goes to great lengths to stress the idea that if God takes care of the birds and the lilies, etc. will He not take care of you and provide you with all that you have need of? Your greatest goal in life, he says, is not the accumulation of money or possessions but seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness (v. 33) - and then and only then will whatever God has blessed you with be understood to be what is best for you.

“TAKE heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.”

Christ warns us about the self-righteous and self-focused hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Their good deeds were all orchestrated in such a way as to “be seen of men” (v. 5). Seen is the Greek word, theaomai, # <2300>, meaning, “to look closely at…” The word, theatron # <2302>, comes from this word and means “a place for public show (‘theatre’).” The Pharisees gave quite a performance; they were theatrical, pretending to be who they were not, desiring the praises of men and not the praises of God.

In verse 2, the word, “hypocrites” is the Greek word hupokrites # <5273>, which means “an actor under an assumed character (stage-player)…” The Pharisees were play actors who received their reward in the applauding of men. They were plastic teachers hiding their true motives behind painted Greek masks. Christ reserved the most scathing criticism to hypocrites, calling such “wolves in sheep’s clothing” (Matt 7:15), and “like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness... full of hypocrisy and iniquity” (Matt 23:27-28).

The Pharisees failed in the area of their deeds (alms, Matt 6:2), their devotion (prayer, v. 5), and their discipline (fasting, v. 16). They had everything in the showcase, but nothing in the warehouse. It was a shameful display of hypocrisy in all these three areas. What they did was not wrong; it was their motive behind it that condemned them. This is what Christ warns us about and not to defraud ourselves at the Judgment Seat.

We are to conduct some serious introspection and be discerning, taking heed that we are not pseudo-saints. Many “play-actors” never realize they are merely acting. They may appear very nice outwardly, do a lot of good deeds, but still have never known the reality of not just having the Truth, but being the Truth (cf. Matt 7:22-23).

6:6 Jesus advises that prayer should be said in private. However Paul, for example, is willing to tell believers that he has prayed for them –Eph 1:6, 1Thess 1:2, Philem 1:4 - so how are the two ideas reconciled? The answer is that Jesus is warning about the Pharisaic self gratification of making a show of one’s prayer. Paul, by contrast, is encouraging others by telling them that he has prayed for them.

During WW2, Corrie ten Boom and her entire family were imprisoned by the German Gestapo at the Vught political concentration camp in the Netherlands after a Dutch informant reported that they were hiding Jews in their home. Later, they were moved to the Ravensbruck concentration camp for women in Germany.

They were treated cruelly, humiliated, raped. Only Corrie survived and at the end of WW 2, Corrie travelled the world preaching the gospel with her emphasis on forgiveness when one of the then known cruelest SS guards, who since converted to Christianity, came up to her to ask for her forgiveness. Imagine the test of what she preached! At first she was reluctant to forgive him, but what a release it was to her when she did. She writes: “For a long moment we grasped each other’s hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God’s love so intensely as I did then.” It was very hard for her, but she obeyed the command that if he repent, thou shalt forgive him (Luke 17:3,4).

The Bible calls our sins “debts” - debts we cannot pay. In this prayer, we are praying to God to forgive us our debts with the restriction that He forgive us as we forgive others! What a serious prayer! By forgiving, we have everything to gain and nothing to lose. Yet, there seems to be a great difficulty in forgiving freely, i.e. not after we have humiliated the sinner; in forgiving fully, by accepting the apology, and in forgiving finally, the matter is never to be brought up again. This serves as our litmus test if we have truly forgiven (cf. Eph 4:32).

True forgiveness is not about politeness, it is not about acting magnanimously about it, or take the matter lightly as if it wasn’t that big a deal. Forgiveness is not merely about accepting an apology, nor is it just forgetting about the sin against us. Forgetting is never the means of forgiveness, it is the result of forgiveness. Forgiveness is only possible if there is repentance. God does not forgive without repentance, and neither can we. Forgiveness is paying the debt that another cannot pay. It costs to forgive freely, fully, and finally.

God does not overlook sin. When a debt is forgiven, there must be a forgiver who pays the debt (cf. Col 1:14)! Somebody has got to pay and it cost His son, Jesus plenty. God, as the ultimate victim of all sin, has received restitution in the death of Christ. We read in Eph 1:7, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” Christ paid our debts through grace out of God’s riches for our forgiveness - God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. It is so easy to overlook the fact that our forgiveness is subject to our forgiving. An unforgiving person is unforgiveable (Matt 6:14,15), and Corrie ten Boom knew this. Do we?

6:7 we may wonder whether making the same request to God repeatedly is “vain repetition”. However this is not so. The sort of think that is “vain repetition” is the way in which the prophets of Baal cried out 1Kin 18:26

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."Matt 6:33-34

Worrying about tomorrow is surprisingly common but essentially unfruitful, as we can no more change the course of tomorrow than we can change the length or colour of our own hair. Jesus here councils that we concentrate on the single day in hand, putting the future out of our minds, and into the care of God. The example he draws on is that of the Manna in the wilderness which was provided for one day only and not the next (Exo 16:15-19), and it is an extension of his prayer, "give us this day our daily bread".

Because I have had a lot of experience in machining engineering products from metal and plastic, I can usually see at a glance whether a product is good or bad. It's only because I have looked at so many examples that it becomes second nature. An experienced sailor will be able to see wind shifts on the water before I can.
A banker can tell the difference between a counterfeit note and real one in a moment.

What we constantly look at can determine how we act and the judgements we make in life. Some people who play violent video games or watch violent movies begin to think that violence is normal. At present the media is desperately trying to portray homosexuality and other forms of sex outside marriage as normal. Many people are being influenced by it.

Jesus said this: "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness." (Matt 6:22-23).

Let's make sure the things we look at are things like God's word and other tools that shine God's light into our lives. Let's choose not to live in the darkness this world tries to immerse us in. Be careful little eyes what you see.

6:2 Jesus says “They have their received” three times in the Sermon on the mount. Here and in verses 6:5,16 We might think that these words would never apply to ourselves. However how often have we said or done something so that other people would notice?

“… If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great that darkness!”

Have you ever gone inside a cavern deep inside the earth anywhere from 150 (46 m) to 250 (76m) feet? When I toured one of these caves with my now late, but still dearly beloved, husband, we were amazed at the strange and impressive geological formations. Colourful lit spotlights made it possible to see its astounding interior! When deep inside, the guide explained he would turn off the lights; that we would be standing in total darkness, a darkness 40% darker than the darkest night ever experienced on the earth’s surface! He then turned off the lights, and we got a taste of what it is to be totally blind! What a helpless and scary feeling standing in such a deep cave in total and unimaginable darkness!

In the days before electricity, a farmer took to task his hired hand for carrying a lighted lantern when he went to visit his girlfriend. “Why,” he exclaimed, “when I went a-courtin’ I never carried one of them things, I always went in the dark.” “Yes,” the hired hand replied wryly, “and look at what you got!” Making decisions when in the dark can lead to very regrettable consequences. We have all experienced this some time or other, in some way or another. Some change their ways when they see the light, others only when they feel the heat (cf. Psa 119:67,71,75); there are some who take their own lives because they see no other way out, and then there are those who think they are in the Light.

Darkness does not comprehend the Light, and this theme of separation of darkness from the light is a prominent theme throughout the Bible. It began right at the beginning of Creation (Gen 1:2-5), and goes a lot deeper than merely the physical. It also represents how we are to relate to a spiritually and morally dark world. Spiritual and moral ignorance of those whose sins have blinded their eyes from the Light of Yahweh’s truth (2Cor 4:4; Eph 4:18), are usually the most aggressive, least sensitive, least teachable, and the nastiest folks to contend with.

If we truly have the Light of Christ in us and walk in that Light, the knowledge of the Truth will shine into our lives and only then are we able to emit this light to others (Matt 5:16). At one time, we not only walked in the darkness, we were the darkness; we were totally blind! If we are lights in the Lord and children of the Light, then we must walk in that Light. This implies a profound change in each and every one of us. It comes from an act of Yahweh’s creative and saving power in the new birth (John 3:3-7). Light was created out of the darkness! We must change! To say we are lights, but walk in darkness (no rebirth), we lie and do not the Truth (1John 1:6,7).

While we strongly emphasize the principals of doctrinal Truths, and so we should, we under-emphasize the Biblical righteous standards of character, and in doing so, we emerge as just another denomination by our worldly associations and behaviour (cf. Rom 12:2). If our thinking, our attitudes, our words, our behaviours conform with those who do not know Christ; if we profess to know Christ, but our walk is not in conformity with him, what kind of message can we give them?

While we are in the world, we are not to be of the world, and definitely not behave as the world (cf. John 17:14-19). This fine balance is achieved by Yahweh’s word of Truth - if we let it. We are to be pictures of the Truth, which Yahweh shone into our hearts (2Cor 4:6), and living every day knowing that every area of our lives is exposed to Yahweh. Without this kind of conviction, we are convicted.